‘Ye hai pakistan ki asli aukkat’ – Fans react as reports of Sri Lanka hosting Asia Cup 2023 surface online
India emerged as the champions when the last 50-over edition of Asia Cup was held in UAE in 2018.
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May 8, 2023 8:40 pm
Najam Sethi and Jay Shah (Source: Twitter)
As per latest reports, Sri Lanka are likely to host the Asia Cup in 2023. The Indian Express claims that the Asia Cup is likely to be moved out of Pakistan and will be played in the Emerald Isle. The decision of shifting the multilateral tournament from Pakistan was going to happen soon after Jay Shah, the president of Asian Cricket Council, said that India will not travel to Pakistan.
With regards to finalization of the venue, the complete picture will be available by the end of May. Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh have given the green signal on the matter. With regards to Pakistan taking part in the tournament, reports are indicating that Pakistan might not take any part in the tournament.
Sri Lanka are the current holders of the Asia Cup
Pakistan still want to keep the option of hosting the tournament open. But with support from the other countries coming in, it seems that Pakistan will have to let go in hosting the tournament this year.
The Indian Cricket Board had, earlier, said that they would not travel to Pakistan without getting the required clearance from the government. The Pakistan Cricket Board had mulled over the idea of having India’s games in separate venues. That location could have been UAE, Oman, Sri Lanka or England, according to some reports.
This proposal was shelved down as it was not ideal from the broadcaster’s point of view. The weather in the UAE was not perfect to play cricket. Oman also pitched in and expressed their interest of hosting the tournament, but Sri Lanka got the nod in the end. If Sri Lanka host the tournament, Dambulla and Colombo could be the frontrunners in terms of venues.
If Pakistan opt out of the Asia Cup, then their participation for the World Cup in India also appears to be in doubt. If Pakistan gives confirmation, then it would be six teams competing against each other. The 2022 edition of the Asia Cup was held in the UAE in the 20-20 format. Sri Lanka were the champions. This year, the tournament will be held in the fifty over format.
